1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a storage medium.
2. Related Background Art
Hitherto, an image processing apparatus reads an image on an original put on a copyboard glass or the like and accurately performs a recording operation in accordance with a printed matter, an electronic storage medium, or the like in response to an instruction of the operator.
According to a recent image processing technique, image information whose output has been instructed can be accurately reconstructed on a printed matter owing to progress of a coloring technique. In a conventional apparatus, therefore, matters such as bills, securities, or the like whose forgery is prohibited or copyrighted works such as pictures or the like can be copied and printed by abusing the image processing technique or by xe2x80x9cout of mischiefxe2x80x9d or the like.
To solve such a problem, in EP 0529746 B1, there has been proposed an image processing apparatus comprising: input means for inputting image information; evaluating means for evaluating, at multistages, a similarity between an image which is expressed by the image information and a specific image whose accurate reproduction is inhibited; and processing means for transforming the image information inputted at a degree according to the multistage evaluation by the evaluating means.
It is an object of the apparatus to disable the use of an output image of an image determined in a manner such that it has a similarity with a specific image. For this purpose, a transforming process such as color transformation, tilted type transformation, enlargement, reduction, or the like by which an image can be discriminated by the human being is executed in accordance with the similarity.
According to this apparatus, however, since the transforming process by which the image can be discriminated by the human being is executed even if the similarity with the specific image is relatively low, the transforming process is executed and a resultant image is outputted with respect to another image which has a similarity with respect to only a part of a specific image or portions at a few discrete positions thereof and in which it is possible to easily determine in a manner such that they are different from the specific image if they are seen by the human being.
In consideration of the above problems, it is an object of the invention to make it possible to have a deterrent effect again a forgery of an image.
Another object of the invention is to make it possible to meet both a protection of a picture quality of an image of a relatively low similarity and a prevention of a forgery of an image of a relatively high similarity.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a new function.
The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings.